Wake up. Be thankful. Rinse. Repeat.
Be thankful.
Hey, you woke up this morning.
That’s your start.
Then look around you. If you’re lucky enough to have a special someone be thankful for that.
If you don’t have a special someone lurking around your house, be thankful for that.
Special someones, more often than not, eat all your peanut butter when you aren’t looking.
If you have a dog or cat or tortoise or rabbit or hamster or goldfish or mule … Be tankful.
Pets are good for your soul (and they have a hard time getting the lids off jars of peanut butter).
Be thankful for the life you have.
Maybe your life isn’t everything you thought it would be when you were 12.
Mine sure isn’t. At 12 I thought when I grew up I could have cupcakes three meals a day and nobody could tell me not to.
I thought when I grew up I could watch cartoons all of the time.
Every. Single. Day.
I thought I could live in pajamas.
I didn’t think anyone would ever eat all the peanut butter when I wasn’t looking.
Okay, so you’re not a fashion model or a star quarterback in the National Football League.
Be thankful. Those are highly stressful jobs.
So you’re not going to be nominated for Sainthood or elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Be thankful. What do you wear when you get sainted? What kind of speech would you write?
See? No worries.
Be thankful, and happy, you are you and that you do what you do — whatever that may be — because being someone else is not all it’s cracked up to be and doing what you do is what you do best.
Enjoy it. Pat yourself on the back, grin at yourself in the mirror, have an extra pancake (or cupcake if you are lucky enough to be able to eat cupcakes for every meal).
Then, when you’re feeling all thankful and whatnot, spread that feeling around — make others feel thankful.
For knowing you.
Be a big ole’ ray of sunshine. Tell stupid jokes. Share your cupcakes (but only if you are lucky enough to be able to eat cupcakes for every meal). Get really crazy and tell someone it’s okay for them to sneak some of your peanut butter.
Not all of it, mind you. You gotta draw the line somewhere.
Here’s a word for you: Bask.
Bask in being you.
And maybe, just maybe, someone will be thankful they know you.
It’s a stretch, I know.
But it’s not impossible.
Be thankful you have music. I know I am.
Oh man, am I ever thankful for tuneage.
Share that music — let everyone else in on your little secret. Play a song you really, really love and play it LOUD.
It doesn’t matter if anyone else likes it.
They’ll know you like it (they may wonder why you like it) and maybe it will make them think of a song they really, really like and they’ll play that song for you.
LOUD.
And then maybe you’ll wonder why they like that song. But it doesn’t matter. It’s music. It’s good for you.
Anyone who has music in their heart tends to make the world a better place.
Kinda like peanut butter.
And here’s the best part: Do this every day.
Wake up every day and start that day by being thankful you’re alive.
Go from there.
Rinse. Repeat.
I know it’s Thanksgiving and this is my Thanksgiving message.
But wouldn’t it be just awesomeness if everybody woke up every day and started that day by remembering to be as thankful as they are at Thanksgiving?
And wouldn’t it be like the neatest thing on Earth if that feeling spread to everybody?
Wake up. Smile. Listen to some music. Eat a cupcake (if you are lucky enough to be able to eat cupcakes for every meal). Hide your peanut butter (just kidding) — share your peanut butter.
Be thankful.
Every day.